Vincent The Blue-Eyed Dragon

Word count 3,563
©copyright July 22, 1992



VINCENT THE BLUE EYED DRAGON

         One beautiful Spring day, when I was 18, I was lying in a field of freshly cut grass. The gentle breeze softly caressed my face and tickled my nose with the sweet smell of distant flowers. Blissfully, I basked in the golden rays of the sun and wished that I could stay here forever.
         When I opened my eyes, I saw that the parade of clouds had begun. At first they looked like ordinary clouds. Then something magical took place and they began to change shape. First a cat, then a dog; was that a little girl playing with a doll?
         There was one so big it filled the sky. It was a dragon with a wingspan that seemed to be ten miles long and a tail so massive, it could carry a knight on a horse with ease. He held his head high and his eyes sparkled with a mischievousness that caused my heart to laugh with childish delight.
{indent Gracefully, he danced across the sky without a care in the world. Soaring and swooping, he beckoned me to join him.
         “Come with me and leave this dreary world behind,” he said.
         Then he slowly faded away, signaling the end of the parade. Waving good-bye, I closed my eyes again. Then changing my mind about staying in the field, I silently wished that I could go with him instead.
         “It must be beautiful where he lives,” I thought out loud.
         “Come see for thyself.”
         Startled, I sat up quickly and looked around to see who had spoken. To my surprise, I saw that it was the dragon! Only this time he wasn’t a cloud. He was real and more magnificent than before. His scales, which were different shades of green, highlighted with purple and gold, looked as if they had been carefully polished. His eyes still sparkled as they had before, but there was something different. It took me a minute to figure out what it was. Then I saw it. He had blue eyes! They were the deepest shade of blue I had ever seen, and I couldn’t help but stare.
         “Thou art staring,” he said. “Hast thy mother never told thee ’tis not polite to stare?”
         “I’m sorry,” I stammered. “It's just that I have never seen a dragon with blue eyes before. In fact, I’ve never seen a dragon before! At least, not a real one.”
         “Well, now thou hast,” he proudly said, winking at me. “Come, I wilt show thee a world grander than thou hast ever imagined.”
         So I climbed on his back and off he flew. “Please don’t go too fast, I don’t want to fall.”
         “Don’t worry, Miss Rebecca, I shan’t let thee fall.”
         “How did you know my name?”
         “Dragons know everything,” he said, with a smile in his voice. “I am Vincent and I have existed for thousands of years.
         “Do all dragons where you live have blue eyes?” I asked.
         “There are no other dragons where I live. As for the color of my eyes, they were once green, but there was a very old magician, named Joshua, who had great powers. He was a wonderful man and all who knew him loved him. All except his evil brother, Christopher. He coveted Joshua's powers.
         Before Joshua died, he transferred his powers to me for he did not want his brother to gain possession of them. 'Tis this power that turned my eyes blue and hast made it possible for me to travel from my world to thine. I must use great care, though, for Christopher has vowed to steal these powers from me. If he were to succeed, my eyes would turn black, and I would cease to exist. Thus, I avoid him as much as possible.”
         As we landed, we were greeted by a handsome young man about 20 years old. He was wearing a white V-necked shirt with large puffy sleeves, black pants, and black boots. Around his waist he wore a small silver pouch. He had shoulder-length light brown hair, enchanting blue eyes, and a smile that would melt any woman’s heart.
         “I see thou hast been visiting the other world again,” he said. “And who might this lovely young lady be?”
         “Tis Miss Rebecca m’Lord.”
         “A pleasure to meet thee, m’lady,” he said, bowing to kiss my hand.
         Blushing, I said, “A pleasure to meet you, too. Who might you be?”
         “I am Lord DuHammel. Thou mayest call me Kevin."
         Addressing Vincent, he asked, "Dost thou mind if I take Rebecca on a tour of our village?
         “If Miss Rebecca dost not object, ’tis all right by me.”
         “What say ye, m’lady, might the pleasure of thy company be mine?” he invited.
         “I’d be delighted,” I returned, with a curtsy. Turning to Vincent, I asked,
         “Are you sure you don't mind?”
         “Nay. haves thee a good time. I shall eat my dinner and then retire for a spell. Taketh good care of her m'lord.”
         “I shall guard her with my life,” he proclaimed with a grin. Then, taking my arm in his, we began our tour of the village. As we walked, Kevin expounded on the history of the village and most of the people who lived there.
         “Who lives in the castle?” I asked.
         “I do, m’ lady."
         “Do you live in that huge place by yourself?
         “Nay, I reside in the east wing only. My parents reside in the main living quarters and the servants reside in the west wing. If thou wishes, I shalt take thee there.”
         “Such a deal! I’ve never been inside a castle before.” Kevin gave me a puzzled look, but didn’t say anything.
         As we walked through the castle gardens, I was amazed at how exquisite it was.
         Kevin picked a couple of roses and gave them to me saying, “For thee, m’lady.”
         “Why thank you.”
         The inside of the castle was so elegantly furnished, I hesitated to move for fear that I would break something.
         “Fear not, Rebecca, for this furnishing hath survived my lively childhood, therefore, it shall survive thee,” Kevin said, laughing.
         He then introduced me to his parents and while I knew that they must be a very wealthy family, I had no idea that they were the rulers of the village.
         “You should have told me ahead of time,” I scolded.
          “Then I could have acted more appropriately, instead of like a bumbling child.”
         “My dear Rebecca, I believe thou dost exaggerate greatly. Thy behavior was most appropriate. Non the less, my apologies for any embarrassment I have caused thee,” he said, with a smile.
         “Apology accepted, just don't let it happen again,” I teased, smiling back at him.
         “Thou hast my word,” he said, surprising me with a kiss on my cheek.
         We left the castle and stopped at a small, quaint tavern that was owned by a woman named Liz and her daughter Roni. I was impressed with the coziness of the place and immediately felt at home. Liz served us each a mug of cider. As we sat at a corner table, Roni sat on a stool and sang for us. She sang so beautifully that it brought tears to my eyes. This brought a smile to Kevin and he teased me playfully about being so softhearted.
         When it was time to leave, Liz and Roni invited us to come back anytime. We told them we would. Little did we know, we’d be back sooner than we expected. For as we walked back to where Vincent lived, an uneasy feeling came over me. Noticing the frown on my face, Kevin asked,
         “Why causeth thy frown?”
         “I don’t know. All of a sudden I have the feeling that Vincent is in trouble.”
         When I said that, Kevin whistled and an exquisite, silver colored stallion galloped to his side. Kevin helped me up, and with a soft tap of his heels, he commanded the horse to run. There was never a time when I was more grateful for the riding lessons my parents had insisted that I take. If it weren't for the terrible feeling of dread I had, the ride would have been much more enjoyable.
         When we arrived at Vincent’s cave, we found him lying there very still. Kevin helped me down from the horse, and we ran to Vincent’s side.
         “Vincent, what’s the matter?” I asked.
         “I know not,” he said. “Whilst I was eating, my strength took leave of me. ’Tis most likely that Christopher has poisoned my food.
         "Tell me, Miss Rebecca, what color hath mine eyes become?”
         I looked at his eyes and all my fears were confirmed.
         “Oh, Vincent! They’re turning black!” I exclaimed.
         “There’s only about three quarters of the blue left!”
         “Thou must find the antidote before my eyes turn completely black or I shall lose all my powers and thou wilt be stranded here forever,” he said in a weak voice.
         “Kevin, what are we going to do? Where can we find the antidote?”
         “Quickly! Put the remaining food in this pouch. I shall take it to Liz. If there is one who might tell us where to seek help, ’tis she".
         I filled the pouch with the food and handed it back to Kevin.
         “Rebecca, go with him,” Vincent said.
         “No, I don’t want to leave you alone.”
         “Thou must. Christopher wilt surely be guarding the antidote and since he knows thee not, thou hast a greater chance of slipping past him.
         “Tis true, Kevin said.
         "Come, we have not time to waste!”
         “All right,” I said, “Hang on Vincent, we’ll be back with the antidote real soon.
         As we raced back to Liz’s tavern, I prayed that Vincent would be all right.
         When we arrived, Liz standing outside. She turned and saw the concern on our faces and asked us what was wrong.
         “We think Christopher has poisoned Vincent!” I exclaimed.
         “Liz, dost thou know of one who might know of an antidote?”
         Liz thought for a moment and then said,
         “Squire McCoy, the alchemist, could help thee, m'lord. He and his wife live in a cabin out in the forest. Roni can take thee."          "Roni! Fetch thy horse and take Lord DuHammel and Miss Rebecca to Squire McCoy’s place. Hurry! ’Tis urgent!”
         Before I could even catch my breath, Roni was on her horse and ready to go.
         “This way,” she said, and was off.
         The Squire’s place was located deep in the forest, and it seemed like it we would never get there. When we finally arrived,          Roni was the first to dismount and knock on the door. The squire’s wife, Shelly, answered.
         “M’lady, we must speak with thy husband!” Roni insisted, “'Tis urgent!”
         “Please, come inside whilst I fetch him for thee.
         "David, come quickly! Lord DuHammel and his friends would speak with thee. They say 'tis urgent.”
         “How may I be of service to thee, m'lord?” he asked, when he came into the room.
         “We suspect that Christopher hast poisoned Vincent's food.” said Kevin.
         Handing the Squire the pouch, Kevin continued,
         “We brought thee a sample.”
         “I shall take a look and see what can be done.”
         “Please hurry, we don't have much time,” I said.
         “Vincent’s eyes are almost completely black.”
         “I shall do my best, m’lady” he said as he left the room.
         “I pray Vincent will be well,” Shelly said, as she handed each of us a cup of tea. We all agreed with her and then sat there silently.
         “'Tis Christopher’s doing, as thou hast supposed,” said the squire as he came back into the room.
         “Only a man such as he would be inclined to use such a rare poison.”
         “Canst thou mix an antidote?” Roni asked.
         “I have all of the necessary ingredients, save one. Without it the antidote cannot be made.”
         “Tell us where it can be found and we shall fetch it for thee,” said Kevin.
         “'Tis the leaf of the Zieos tree, and is located on Christopher’s land only. Thus, thou must use great care, for if he catches thee, ’twill mean thy death!”
         “'Tis a risk we shall take,” Kevin said. “Might Rebecca be allowed the use of thy horse? We shall travel much faster that way.”
         “Of course, m’lord.”
         When he returned with the horse, he handed Kevin's pouch back to him. We thanked him and his wife for their help and left without hesitation.
         “God speed!” they said, as we rode away.
         My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would burst. I tried to hide my fear, but it must have shown.
         “Worry not, Rebecca,” Kevin said.
         “We shall be victorious.”
         “He is such a brave and valiant man,” I thought to myself, feeling relieved that he was with me.
         Like before, Roni led the way. She seemed to have no fear and her courage was an inspiration to me.
         As we got closer to Christopher’s place, dark, gloomy clouds filled the sky. The trees in this part of the forest were a strong contrast to the ones in the village. They were huge, old, and bare like the ones you might see in a horror movie. The wind, howling through the branches, made an eerie sound that made the horses jittery. For a brief moment, I wished I were back home still lying on the grass, looking at the clouds. I chided myself for this, and summoning all of my courage, I continued with the others toward Christopher's place.
         “We shall travel the rest of the way on foot, so as not to be noticed,” Roni announced.
         “Will the horses be all right here?” I asked.
         “Let us hope so,” Kevin said.
         We walked very quietly through the forest until we came to a clearing. From where we hid we could see Christopher sitting underneath the very tree we needed to get to.
         “He would have to be sitting right underneath the tree,” I whispered.
         “We must find a way to divert him,” Kevin said.
         
         “I have an idea" I said.
         I'll tell him that I'm lost and ask him if he could give me directions. As I talk to him, I’ll try to lure him away from the tree.” "          Go, but if anything goes amiss, get thee hence.”
         “Don't worry, I can take care of myself. Besides, I’m a very fast runner.” Reluctantly, Kevin let me go into the clearing.
         As I drew near to Christopher, he stood up, glaring at me.
         “Who goest there and what dost thou want?” he demanded.
         "Forgive me for intruding sir, but I seem to be lost. I came to visit my Aunt and I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.”          I could tell by his expression that he didn’t believe me, but I continued anyway.
         “Could you perhaps give me directions to the village.”
         “Be gone! I have not the time to trifle with the likes of thee.”
         “Please sir, I've come such a long way.”
         “Oh, very well. Come hither.”
         He walked me to the edge of the clearing and pointed in the direction which I had just come.
         “Return the way which thou hast come. When thou comest to the dirt road, keep to thy right. Tis this road that will lead thee to the village.”
         “Thank you, sir.” May I trouble you for one more thing?”
         “Get thee hence, before I lose patience with thee!”
         “But, sir, I've been walking for such a long time and I’m so very thirsty. May I please have a drink of water before I leave?”
         “I suppose.” he grumbled Come, the drinking well is in back.”
         This was perfect! If I could just stall long enough, Kevin and Roni would have time to get the leaf from the tree.
         I walked as slowly as I could, hoping that Christopher wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, he did.
         “Make haste!” he yelled.
         “I’m sorry, it’s just that I'm so tired and my feet are killing me.”
         He stood at the well, impatiently waiting for me to catch up. When I did, he handed me a ladle of water and I began to drink it slowly. Before I could finish, he grabbed the ladle from my hand.
         “Thou hast had enough. Now get thee hence!”
         “Thank you, sir. I appreciate your help.”
         As we walked back to the front, to my horror I saw that Roni was still in the tree. Christopher saw her too.
         “Who goest there? What business have thee in my tree?” he shouted.
         “Thou art no more than a common thief!” he accused as he threw me to the ground so hard that I lost my breath. He placed one foot on my stomach and drew his sword. I watched in fear, as he raised the sword to strike me.
         Suddenly, Kevin appeared and shoved him to the ground, causing the sword to fall inches away from Christopher’s hand.
         By now Roni had come down from the tree, and just as Christopher reached for the sword, Roni grabbed it and held it over his head.
         “Let me slay him, m'lord,” she begged.
         “Nay, I have a better way of ridding our land of this evil man,”
         Reaching into his pouch, he drew forth a sparkling power and threw it in Christopher’s face.
         Christopher gasped, and after a brilliant flash of light, all that remained of him was a small brown toad at Roni's feet.
         “Way to go!” I shouted.
         “Pray thee, what didst thou utter?” questioned Kevin.
         “Never mind,” I laughed. “How did you do that?”
         “The Squire placed the powder in my pouch, informing me of the magical power it possessed, just before we departed.”
         “Smart man.” I commented.
         “Come, let us leave this awful place,” advised Roni.
         To our relief the horses were where we had left them. We rode back to the Squire’s house and gave him the leaf. In minutes, he mixed the antidote and we rushed back to Vincent.
         Vincent was lying there so still, I was afraid that he was dead.
         “Vincent. Can you hear me?” I inquired as I knelt beside him.
         “Miss Rebecca, is it thee?” he asked in a voice so weak I could barely hear him.
         “Yes, and we've got the antidote,” I said, lifting his head so he could drink it.
         “Drink slowly,” Kevin suggested.
         “Do you think we made it in time?” I asked.
         “I know not. We shall have to wait and see,” Kevin responded.
         We waited for what seemed like an eternity. Finally Vincent opened his eyes.
         “Pray tell, what color are mine eyes now?” he inquired.
         “They're blue!” I shouted. “They're blue!”
         “Thank goodness,” Roni exclaimed, as she hugged me.
         After Vincent regained his strength, he announced,
         “’Tis time to get thee home Miss Rebecca.”
         “Yes, I suppose it is,” I agreed.
         “Thou hast made me proud Rebecca,” Kevin said softly,
         “Without thy courage, Vincent would surely have died.”
         “It wasn’t just me, we all saved him.”
         “Come Miss Rebecca, we must be going,” called Vincent.
         I thanked Roni for her help and hugged her once more.
         Kevin walked up to me, kissed me gently and said,
         “Please come back and visit us again. I promise thee the next time shall be more pleasant.”
         I told him I would, then climbed up on Vincent's back, more than ready to return home.
         Vincent dropped me off at the same place he had picked me up.
         Thanking me, he said goodbye and was gone.
         When I told my family about what had happened, they thought I had lost my mind. It didn’t matter, though, because I knew it had really happened.
         About a month later, I returned to the field. As I watched the clouds, I wondered if I would ever see Vincent again. I really missed him. I also missed Kevin. He was in my thoughts all the time.
         “Admit it, Rebecca, you’re in love with him.” I said out loud.
         “Talking to thyself again?” asked a familiar voice.
         “Vincent!” I exclaimed.
         “Tis I," he replied with a wink,
         “I brought someone who wishes to speak with thee.”
         My heart skipped a beat as I saw Kevin walking towards me. I blushed when I realized that he too, must have heard me talking to myself.
         “I have missed thee, Rebecca.” he stated, as he bowed and kissed my hand.
         “I’ve missed you too.”
         He put his arms around me and softly said,
         “I had to come for thee, for I have thought of no other since the day of thy departure.
         Then, still holding my hand, he dropped to one knee and said, “What say ye, m'lady? Wilt thou return with me and be my wife?”
         Without a moments hesitation, I answered, “Yes, I would be honored.”
         When I introduced Kevin to my family, they were astonished that he really existed. I told them that we were getting married, and after assuring them that we would visit as often as we could, they gave us their blessing.
         That was many years ago, and we are still happily married.
         So, the next time you find yourself lying on a field of freshly cut grass, watch the parade of clouds. If a dragon appears and beckons you to join him, my advice to you is...
         “Go with him! You won’t regret it.”